


Dinosaur Dentistry: The Tooth Hurts

by Morvidra



Category: Dinotopia - James Gurney
Genre: Dentistry, Don't copy to another site, Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 20:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21804253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morvidra/pseuds/Morvidra
Summary: Toothaches, cleaning and surprise patients - it's all in a day's work for a dinosaur dentist.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 30
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Dinosaur Dentistry: The Tooth Hurts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [reeby10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reeby10/gifts).



> With thanks to my dear beta and cheer-reader :)

“Yes, we have room in the schedule today. Toothache?” Florina asked sympathetically. “We can get that fixed for you. May I have a look?”

The _Deinonychus_ – Enit – growled in reluctant agreement, stalking over to the treatment stand. Florina’s _Euoplocephalus_ assistant Khojin was already using the foot-pedals to adjust the padded jaw-rest to Enit’s height. Florina wheeled her toolkit into position.

“Enit, I need your head here,” Florina said, patting the spot encouragingly. Enit growled again, but complied. “Thank you. And now, open wide!”

Khojin had moved unobtrusively out of Enit’s line of sight, but Florina knew that the _Euoplocephalus_ was positioned ready to charge or swing her club tail at the slightest sign of Enit’s jaws closing. Both Florina and Khojin still had vivid memories of the time they had helped a _Torvosaurus gurneyi_ with an impacted cuspid. Khojin’s armoured tail was the only reason Florina had come away from that episode with both arms still attached.

A dentist couldn’t be too careful when working with theropods.

Florina quickly spotted the problem tooth in Enit’s jaw. The surrounding gum was red and swollen, and the tooth itself had a visible crack in its surface. Extraction was definitely needed.

“Enit, I need to check that this is the right tooth,” Florina said, holding her pincers just a fraction away from the tooth surface. “I’m going to lightly touch it with these – very lightly – so let me know if it’s the right place.”

Sometimes a dentist just had to lie through her teeth, she mused, wrapping the pincers around the tooth in one quick motion. Enit bellowed at the pain, his head shot up, and the tooth popped out quickly and neatly. Before his instincts could kick in, Khojin’s tail had whipped around and stopped a hair’s-breadth from Enit’s lethal hindclaws.

Florina brandished the tooth. “Check with your tongue,” she ordered, “and tell me if there are any other sore teeth.”

Enit snarled at her, but she could see his tongue gingerly sweeping around his mouth. Finally, he grumbled a negative.

“Good,” Florina said, nodding briskly. “Rinse your mouth with saltwater for the next seven days, at both sunrise and sunset, to keep the wound clean. The tooth should grow back within a year, but if you have any more trouble, come and see me again.”

Khojin moved her tail away, and Enit stepped warily back several paces. With a glance at Khojin, he raised one foreclaw and gave a final growl.

Florina bowed. “Breath deep, seek peace,” she replied. She waited until Enit had left the rooftop before sagging to her knees, and taking a few deep breaths herself.

“Stop treating the meat-eaters, why not?” Khojin asked, nudging her leg.

“They get even more angry when they’re in pain,” Florina replied. “It’s for everyone’s good, really.”

Khojin snorted. “That is not why.”

“No.” Florina sighed. “But someone has to help them, Khojin.”

“Habitat partners, we should be,” Khojin said, tipping her head on its side to indicate a joke. “We travel around always, looking after everyone. For us, they should form a new habitat of Teeth.”

Florina grinned.

* * *

Next on their list was a Triceratops complaining of jaw-ache, followed by a baby _Maiasaurus_ with a retained egg-tooth. Then a family of _Leaellynasaura_ took up the remainder of the morning. The whole group had come, even though only one of them needed to see the dentist.

“Little dinosaurs always flock together,” Khojin grumbled good-naturedly.

“They like the moral support,” Florina said. She rubbed her ear with a grimace; _Leaellynasaura_ were chatterers when they were nervous. “What’s next for us?”

“Lunch,” Khojin said, clacking her jaws firmly. “You eat. I eat. Then there will be more teeth to mend.”

“There are always more teeth,” Florina agreed.

Lunch for Florina was fish, stuffed with herbs and wrapped in crispy leaves. Khojin munched her way through a large basket of ferns, with a small berry bush for dessert.

“Good leaves?” Florina inquired.

Khojin chewed thoughtfully, which Florina watched for a moment out of professional interest. _Euoplocephalus_ , like other Ankylosaurs, had a complex and flexible jaw that allowed for movements in multiple planes. This allowed members of the species to chew their food with greater force, but also contributed to tooth abrasion and jaw dislocation. Florina had a number of semi-regular patients who saw her almost entirely for such problems. Khojin’s chewing showed no sign of any issues, however.

“Not bad leaves,” Khojin decided eventually. “Mixed. Some are very tasty.” She finished the last bite. “Were.”

“Our next patient should be here soon,” Florina said, checking the sun. “Our regular appointment, you remember?”

Khojin snorted. “When do I forget a thing?”

“There was that time in Sauropolis last year…” Florina mused, smiling.

Khojin stamped her feet. “In Sauropolis I forgot. But here in Waterfall City I remember Sauropolis. And so, I do not forget.” She tilted her head back and forth.

Florina raised her hands in bafflement. “Dinosaur logic!” She shook her head. “I can’t follow your argument at all.”

“Mammal brain cannot grasp reptile logic,” Khojin said smugly. “I have won.”

“I retire defeated,” Florina agreed, scratching under Khojin’s chin in forfeit. “Just in time for our next appointment,” she added, spotting the appointment in question ascending the ramp.

“Breathe deep, seek peace, Florina and Khojin,” the newcomer said politely, raising a forefoot in greeting.

“Bix, it is always a pleasure to see you,” Florina said warmly. Khojin hummed in agreement.

Bix nodded towards the human who had accompanied her. “This is Arthur Denison, the scholar and scientist. Arthur has joined me today to see the art of Dinotopian dentistry.”

“Only if you do not object,” Arthur Denison added politely.

“That would be quite alright,” Florina said. She was a little startled that the Arthur Denison of the Denison Expedition would take an interest in her work, but she was well-accustomed to having observers while she worked.

Khojin was swishing her tail impatiently, waiting to adjust the machinery. Bix trotted over to the platform, switching to the _Euoplocephalus_ dialect as she did so.

“Fascinating,” Arthur said, his eyes alight as he bent down to get a better look. “Foot-operated pedals? Ah yes, I see,” as Khojin moved the jaw-rest down to Bix’s height. Bix delicately rested her head on the padding, moving it slightly to check it for comfort.

“What range of adjustment is possible to achieve with this machine?” Arthur asked.

“Roughly, to fit dinosaurs from Bix’s height up to that of a _Triceratops_ ,” Florina said. “Sauropods stand below and rest their head up here, if they can reach. If not, we suspend a platform from a nearby tree or building for them to rest their heads.”

“And where do you then stand to treat them?”

Florina laughed. “Wherever I can, and then I try not to fall off!”

Khojin barked a “hurry up!” and Florina crossed to the treatment stand, beckoning Arthur to follow. Bix was comfortably positioned on the platform, which was now slightly elevated so Florina could see into her mouth without bending. Khojin’s tail was curved to form a ‘wall’ around Bix, to create a feeling of stability despite being lifted off the ground.

“Have there been any problems since last year, Bix?”

Bix shook her head. “I haven’t noticed anything the matter.”

“I encourage all my patients to have yearly check-ups,” Florina added for Arthur’s benefit. “Bix is one of the few who actually does, though.”

“That sounds very typical for Bix,” Arthur said, smiling. “Organised as ever.”

“That tooth seems to have grown back nicely,” Florina said, investigating Bix’s mouth. “Let me know if anything hurts.” She prodded the small spiked tool into Bix’s gumline. “No pain, no discomfort?”

Bix gargled a negative.

Florina nodded, satisfied. “I think we’ll just need to remove some toothscale, then.” She beckoned Arthur to look over her shoulder. “Do you see how the teeth have some white deposits here, and here?” She pointed to the spots in question.

“Yes, I see,” Arthur said, craning his neck. “Is that caused by diet, do you know? Or is it that dinosaurs can’t clean their teeth as readily as humans?”

Bix rolled her eyes slightly. Khojin muttered something impolite.

“We aren’t sure,” Florina said, abruptly reminded that even if he had led the Denison expedition, Arthur Denison was still a dolphinback. “But herbivores like Bix do clean their teeth by chewing fibrous plant matter, which acts in much the same way as tooth powder does for humans. Only I believe it tastes better,” she added.

Arthur nodded. To Florina’s relief, he seemed unconcerned by the gentle correction. “What about carnivores?” he asked.

Florina shrugged. “Some say the bones they eat protect their teeth. Personally, I believe they shed their teeth too often for toothscale to form. But then, I don’t treat as many of them.”

“You do treat carnivores, though?” Arthur sounded intrigued. “Most of the therapods I’ve met have had terrible halitosis.”

“They do tend to,” Florina agreed. “But I’ve never had the chance to see if a thorough dental clean would fix it. I suspect their diet is largely to blame.” She finished de-scaling the last tooth. “Rinse out now.”

Bix ‘rinsed’, dinosaur style, by taking a mouthful of water from the offered bucket and swishing it around with her tongue before opening her beak and letting it fall into the second, waste bucket.

“Do you ever treat the large carnivores?” Arthur asked.

“Sometimes.” Florina shrugged. “When we are travelling, sometimes one will be in need. The therapods of the Rainy Basin are not vicious by nature, you know. And I would not leave a dinosaur in pain that I could relieve.”

“You have safe passage through their territories, then?”

“As safe as it is possible to be,” Florina said dryly. She held up the three fingers that remained on her left hand. “Which is to say, not as safe as I could wish.”

* * *

The day was nearly done. Bix and Arthur had left – Bix with an appointment for the following year, Arthur bubbling over with ideas for an improved sauropod treatment swing.

“Finish soon,” Khojin said, rolling her shoulders. “Concert tonight, I do not forget.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to that,” Florina agreed. A well-known group of hadrosaurs and humans were performing some traditional music that evening, and both Florina and Khojin were keen to attend.

A shadow overhead made them both look up to see a Skybax wheel in the sky above them, before settling onto the landing platform a few buildings away.

“News, maybe?” Khojin sounded interested.

Florina shrugged. “Probably nothing for us. She checked the position of the sun. “Let’s start packing up.”

They had barely begun when they were hailed by a red-headed woman wearing the uniform of a Skybax Rider, who came trotting briskly up the stairs.

“Breathe deep, seek peace!” she said, a touch breathlessly. “We have need of the dentist – is that the two of you?”

Florina blinked. “It is,” she said, “but…”

“Skybaxes don’t have teeth, no. It’s not for Nimbus I’m asking,” the Rider said. She turned and beckoned encouragingly, and a smaller shape fell out of the sky, landing almost at their feet.

“This is Rupes, a _Ludodactyl_.” Rupes shuffled his feet awkwardly, sidling behind the rider. “Rupes has a tooth problem; would you mind having a look?

Khojin sighed “So much for concert.” But she was already adjusting the treatment platform, and Florina felt a similar spark of interest in the new patient. After all, it wasn’t every day she got to treat a pterosaur!

“Of course we will,” she said cheerfully. “I’m Florina, and this is Khojin.”

“Sylvia,” the Rider introduced herself.

Being a pterosaur, Rupes did not understand human or saurian languages, but Florina smiled at the small creature anyway.

“Come up here on the platform, Rupes,” she said, patting the spot in demonstration. “Toothache? We can get that fixed for you. May I have a look?”

**Author's Note:**

> A very merry Yuletide to you, dear recipient! Thank you for the excellent prompt - I had a lot of fun writing this. Hope you enjoyed it!


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